Catholic Answers Focus: Why Does God Command Sacrifice?

In the Hebrew Scriptures, God gives quite specific directions on how to make sacrifices to him. We ask Jimmy Akin why God does this? What good does it do? And does God need all these sacrifices?
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[@ZacharyCath]

Very helpful. Thank you and God bless!

[@clgmafnas]

Excellent explanation. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@Coco-bg8lw]

Very good explained 😀 thank you 👍

[@mikeylejan8849]

Love you guys from the Philippines

[@dylanandrew1122]

Thank you for the answers!

[@visitor5009]

Great insight!

[@xifangyangren9997]

The test of Abraham was the ultimate test of loyalty and trust. I think Jesus’ telling the rich young servant to give up all his wealth was a similar test. The young man failed.

[@FreshPrince0fMiami]

Do Jews repent now and how do they?

[@flyswatter6470]

same question. Did they do something different after the time the temple was destroyed? Also, Did some worship NOT involve sacrifice in any culture?

[@blackallday]

If i was going to make a sacrifice i would give up all my possessions and live by God's laws not kill a sheep

[@lauterunvollkommenheit4344]

Unfortunately, human sacrifice isn't always condemned in the Bible. Just one of the many examples is Leviticus 27:28-29: "But of all that anyone owns, be it man or beast or land of his holding, nothing that he has proscribed for the LORD may be sold or redeemed; every proscribed thing is totally consecrated to the LORD. No human being who has been proscribed can be ransomed: he shall be put to death."

[@papuciowy1465]

How is this fragment about 'human sacrifice'?

[@lauterunvollkommenheit4344]

@@papuciowy1465 Killing a human being to please God is called human sacrifice.

[@bubbalowe7377]

Context is everything. This chapter deals, with people choosing to make vows to God….Not requirements that God put on man. In this case, specifically it is referring to efforts of one seeking to escape capital punishment. …. In this sense also, one could not escape execution by being “bought back” from the LORD. They had to face their fate or penalty. i. An example of this is found in 1 Samuel 15 where King Saul was commanded to bring God’s judgment against the Amalekites. They were devoted and doomed to destruction. Saul failed to do this and greatly displeased the LORD. ii. “The law mentioned in these two verses has been appealed to by the enemies of Divine revelation as a proof, that under the Mosaic dispensation human sacrifices were offered to God; but this can never be conceded. Had there been such a law, it certainly would have been more explicitly revealed, and not left in the compass of a few words only, where the meaning is very difficult to be ascertained; and the words themselves differently translated by most interpreters.”

[@lauterunvollkommenheit4344]

@@bubbalowe7377 Yes, Leviticus 27 is about vows, dedications, and their possible redemptions. It has nothing to do with capital punishment or other criminal procedures. Verse 29 is not about execution. It's about the proscription that was mentioned in 28. Whoever wrote your "ii", doesn't know much about the Bible.

[@tonyornelas9374]

The Catholics think a priest can forgive sin. The pope said Jesus was a failure on the cross and a relationship with him is dangerous.

[@a.demian]

Are you possessed?

[@a.demian]

Possessed?

[@blackallday]

God created all living creatures on earth but we needs to give him a sacrifice right that's not the real god my most valuable thing i own is myself nothing else my soul why wouldn't god need that over a blood sacrifice

[@RoseSharon7777]

HE DIDNT. Deut. 5:22, Jer 7:22-23-26. Isaiah 66. The passover is not a sin offering.

[@joe-5D]

Yahweh aka Enlil was a dragon or atleast a being that can take the form

[@kcmc3615]

Ooh. Please explain!

[@joe-5D]

@@kcmc3615 im not going to in a youtube comment but u can just search "yahweh was a dragon"

[@Strutingeagle]

So God commands man to give him gifts? How is that a gift. Nice try but this is a non answer.

[@akeilareid3195]

The way that I see it is that God gives us a way to be reconciled to him despite the sin in our life that separates us from him. He doesn't "need" our gifts but he accepts them. And God can also decide which gifts are acceptable and which ones are not. What we are willing to give or offer someone shows our heart and how much we care. I believe God cares about our hearts towards him. We make sacrifices for people we care about. We might even move across the country for someone we love. We might even buy an expensive gift for someone we love. Or something else like clean and cooking for them to show our appreciation. So perhaps many of God's commandments simply show us how to love Him properly and also how to properly love others. I think that is pretty fair if you ask me.

[@Strutingeagle]

@@akeilareid3195 Is this why God saves a mans pet dog because of prayer instead of millions children murdered by Adolf Hitler and his government also prayed about ?

[@kkdoc7864]

The problem is that sacrifice to God whether you stop eating something you like, or you flagellate yourself as many Catholics have done, these things are worthless as far as whether or not you are saved. Scripture says “to obey is better than sacrifice”. Christ became the final sacrifice and therein lies the foundation of the New Covenant. Where did Lent come from?

[@Shirko112]

Yes, this is true but this isn't necessarily to be saved(except the Eucharist, you *need* that). These are to help us align our wills with God's because his is all just and good. I hope this helps. God bless you, cheers :)

[@kkdoc7864]

@@Shirko112 you need faith in who Christ is. That’s what justification is. That’s the declaration from Peter that He built His church upon, the proclamation of the thief on the cross, and the reason Cornelius received the Holy Spirit well before any baptism. Works and good deeds are the fruit of that faith to prove it was genuine and therefore not a “dead” faith. Lent as I have found is a continuation of a pagan practice of a 40 day mourning period for Tammuz before his resurrection. Even ashes were used to mark those who were partaking.

[@blackallday]

God created the heavens and the earth and all the living. Why would he need animal blood he knows this sounds made up